Session Profile: Tarmo Tamm
15th Riigikogu, 5th session, plenary session
2025-06-18
Political Position
The political stance centers on the technical and financial impact of environmental regulation (the ETS in shipping). It neutrally conveys the ministry’s positions and responses to the concerns raised by stakeholders (e.g., the Chamber of Commerce and Industry), demonstrating a pragmatic, policy-driven approach. A crucial theme is balancing the costs borne by the Estonian shipping sector against the potential revenue generated for the state under the ETS framework.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Topic Expertise
The speaker demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) as applied to maritime transport, including the specific exemptions for ice-class vessels. They utilize technical terminology and provide concrete financial projections (e.g., €15 million in revenue versus €8 million in costs, with a unit price of €60), underscoring their strong authority within the sector. Furthermore, they detail the ETS coverage rules (50% vs 100%) and the mechanisms for revenue allocation.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Rhetorical Style
The rhetorical style is highly formal, objective, and informative, focusing on communicating the substance of the committee meeting and its procedural decisions. The discourse is logical and fact-based (questions, answers, projections), avoiding emotional or polemical appeals. The tone is neutral, and the objective is to ensure the full assembly is apprised of the committee's work.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Activity Patterns
The scope of work involves representing the steering committee and reporting the results of the sessions to the plenary. The specific event was the Environment Committee meeting held on June 9th, the decisions of which he/she will convey as a rapporteur on June 18th. He/She was appointed as the steering committee representative by consensus.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Opposition Stance
Direct political opposition is not expressed, but the stance of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Tallink regarding the unconstitutionality of the draft bill—due to its retroactive adverse effect—is mentioned. The speaker neutrally presents the ministry's counter-argument to this criticism, confirming that there are no issues with constitutionality.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Collaboration Style
The style of cooperation is consensual and collegial, emphasizing that all important procedural decisions (placing the draft bill on the agenda, concluding the first reading, appointing a representative) were made unanimously by the committee. It refers to an active question and answer session in the committee, in which the majority of members participated.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Regional Focus
The focus is heavily on international and national maritime issues, particularly the effect of EU regulations on Estonia. Specific mention is made of the Baltic Sea littoral states that have received an exemption concerning ice-class vessels, along with Estonian shipping companies (Tallink) and the resulting financial gain for the state.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Economic Views
Economic views are pragmatic and regulatory, focusing on assessing the financial impact by calculating both potential revenue (15 million euros) and the cost to the shipping sector (8 million euros). There is support for clarity in the distribution of ETS revenue and for the ministry’s position that double taxation (between the EU and IMO systems) must be avoided. A situation where emissions from Estonian ships are low is preferred.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Social Issues
Insufficient data.
1 Speeches Analyzed
Legislative Focus
The legislative focus is on the draft bill concerning the implementation of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) in the maritime sector. The speaker, acting as the representative of the lead committee, proposes that the draft bill be added to the plenary agenda and that the first reading be concluded by consensus. He focuses on clarifying the technical details and the constitutionality of the draft bill.
1 Speeches Analyzed